Saturday, May 22, 2010

This, children, is why your mommy’s always told you to never play with explosives

Oops…

A man whom the U.S. described as a key figure in Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula accidentally blew himself up, U.S. military officials told Fox News.

The officials say Nayif Al-Qahtani was "messing with a bomb" when it went off. U.S. officials had been watching him, but Fox News' sources insist the U.S. had nothing to do with his death.

Wouldn’t it be nice if more terrorists would do this?

It’s getting hot out here, but please, I’m begging you, keep your clothes on.

hot Yesterday was Phoenix’s first 100-degree day of the year…

Friday, May 21, 2010

Roy Oswalt requests a trade. Can’t say I blame him.

Astros ace Roy Oswalt wants to play somewhere else:

Astros ace Roy Oswalt has asked to be traded, team general manager Ed Wade acknowledged today.

Oswalt’s agent, Bob Garber, contacted Astros owner Drayton McLane on Thursday and communicated the pitcher’s request, Wade said.

If I were him, I’d want to be traded too. Oswalt’s 2-6 on the season despite pitching nine quality starts (6+ IP, 3 or less runs) in a row. If you can manage a quality start, you should win most of the time. But the Astros’ bats suck so much that they can’t put three or four runs on the board to support him and get him a win.

Also, it’d be a smart move for the Astros. They’re sitting at 14-27, the worst record in the NL and only ahead of the Orioles (at 13-29) in the race to the first draft pick next year. Yea, I know they started at 15-30 in 2005 and made the World Series, but this isn’t the 2005 team. We all knew that they were way better than that start. This team… sadly… isn’t. It’s time for the team to look towards the future and pick up some minor leaguers to make the team better in the long run.

If only Drayton would get his head out of his ass long enough to realize it. I know it’s unlikely but I can hope. right?

Ducky (though not of the rubber variety)

PHX Zoo 136

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Is crazy in the air back in Texas?

JessieHaynesweb[Right: BISD Spokeswoman Jessie Haynes. Photo from BISD website]

Yes, that’s right, I’m blogging about news back in my hometown. Try not to be shocked.

Thursday night, a sign outside the Beaumont school district’s administration building that reads “Recognized” (In regards to the state’s rating for the district) was changed to say a six-letter racial slur that starts with the letter N. I’ll let you figure out what that slur is…

Anyway, they had a press conference about it yesterday afternoon, and these gems came out of it:

[District spokeswoman Jessie] Haynes placed much of the blame for the vandalism on the media for allowing readers to leave comments on websites and blogs, then encouraged media outlets to remove critical comments directed at BISD, [district superintendent] Dr. Thomas and herself in order to prevent further escalation. She went on to say, “Little seeds like this grow into the Oklahoma bombing.”

Really? You think the ability to leave comments is what caused some idiot to do this. Ever think about the precedent you may be setting by asking media outlets to censor comments that are critical of you? That might be pretty ugly too.

You’d think that would be the extent of the crazy from the press conference. You’d be wrong:

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Don’t let the door hit ya where the good Lord split ya!

The Astros have put Kaz Matsui on waivers:

The Houston Astros will ask waivers on infielder Kazuo Matsui for the purpose of giving him his unconditional release, General Manager Ed Wade announced after Wednesday night's game vs. the Colorado Rockies.

The transaction will officially go into effect on Thursday. By rule, if Matsui is not claimed by another club within two business days (by Monday, May 24), he will become an unrestricted free agent.

[…]

Matsui, who had been with the Astros since signing as a free agent on December 2, 2007, was hitting .141 (10x71) in 27 games (19 starts) entering tonight. In 630 Major League games, Matsui, 34, has hit .267 (615x2302) with 32 home runs, 211 RBI and 102 stolen bases in 120 attempts. In his first two seasons with the Astros, Matsui hit .293 with 20 steals in 96 games 2008 and .250 with 19 steals in 132 games in 2009.

Good riddance to dead weight!

Arizona threatening to cut off L.A.’s power? Not exactly, but maybe they should…

Yesterday Gary Pierce, a commissioner on the Arizona Corporation Commission, sent this letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. In it, he said this:

If an economic boycott is truly what you desire, I will be happy to encourage Arizona utilities to renegotiate your power agreements so Los Angeles no longer receives any power from Arizona-based generation.

The city of Los Angeles gets about a quarter of it’s electricity from Arizona power plants.

Fox News is reporting on this today, saying that Arizona’s threatening to cut off their power.

If Los Angeles wants to boycott Arizona, it had better get used to reading by candlelight. 

That's the message from a member of Arizona's top government utilities agency, who threw down the gauntlet Tuesday in a letter to Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa by threatening to cut off the city's power supply as retribution.

That’s not how I read it. It sounds to me like Pierce is simply sending the letter to make his point about the ridiculousness of the boycott in a clever way. Which I think it did.

But Fox News, like all news outlets, needs readers, viewers, etc., to make money so I’m not surprised at all that they’re trying to sensationalize the issue a bit.

I really wish L.A. would stop half-assing this boycott thing and go all-out. They should refuse to take our power, ban Phoenix-based US Airways from flying into LAX, and take all their prisoners back. After all, is it really a boycott if you’re only doing it when it’s convenient to you?

Come on, Los Angeles, grow a pair and show us just how serious you are about this boycott thing!

And if you won’t, then I’d be willing to bet that most Arizonans would be willing to help you with it, me included.

Sunday, May 16, 2010

I know we’re boycotting you. but PLEASE don’t boycott us!

[H/T @KamaainaInOC]

That’s basically what San Diego is saying:

San Diego tourism leaders and hoteliers fear they could lose a sizable chunk of business this summer from valued “Zonies” who are so angered by elected leaders’ recent censure of Arizona for its illegal-immigration law that they’re mounting an informal boycott of their own.

The San Diego Convention & Visitors Bureau and several hotels report receiving e-mails and letters from Arizona visitors saying they intend to change their plans to travel here in light of local outcry over their home state’s anti-illegal-immigration stance.

Tourism officials are striking back. In an open letter, they urge Arizona residents to overlook local politics and come to San Diego just as they always have for its mild climate, beaches and attractions. The visitors bureau, in conjunction with the San Diego County Hotel-Motel Association, plans to circulate the letter to media outlets and in advertising this weekend in The Arizona Republic.

Really? Y’all didn’t expect this? Hello! This was gonna happen. And it’s probably going to hurt y’all a lot more since nobody in their right mind comes to Arizona in the summer anyway!

Also, I love how they’re spending money buying advertising in The Arizona Republic, which is in Arizona last time I checked, to say “Please ignore our boycott.” Um… no.

Count me in with the boycott-boycotters…

Thursday, May 13, 2010

A little light reading, anybody?

So it came out today that Eric Holder hasn’t actually read that little bill they passed in Arizona that he’s been so critical of:

Despite repeatedly voicing concerns about Arizona's new immigration enforcement law in recent weeks and threatening to challenge it, Attorney General Eric Holder said Thursday he has not yet read the law -- which is only 10 pages long.

"I have not had a chance to -- I've glanced at it," Holder said at a House Judiciary Committee hearing when asked had he read the state law cracking down on illegal immigrants.

Holder told reporters last month that he fears the new law is subject to abuse and that the Justice Department and the Homeland Security Department are in the midst of conducting a review.

Am I the only one that sees a problem here?

Now in all fairness, I haven’t read SB 1070 (PDF) either. But I’m thinking about doing it this weekend. Maybe Eric Holder can fly out to Phoenix and we can read it together?

Saturday, May 08, 2010

Is it too early?

I don’t think so:

toetag

My Astros are sitting at 9-20 as I’m writing this, and that’s just depressing.

It figures that the one game of the series against the Diamondbacks that I didn’t watch was the one the Astros won. Ugh.

Friday, May 07, 2010

Tuesday, May 04, 2010

“Don’t tase me, bro!” “Then don’t be a moron!”

(See what I’m talking about)

If you run out on to the field at any sporting event, you deserve to get tased. If not worse. Like, uh, being tackled.

Also, if you don’t want to get tasered, then keep your butt in your seat.